Exploring the Multigenerational Workforce's Personal and Work Values: the Future Research Agenda

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of the paper is to review the main contributors to the development of the topic of generational differences at workplaces and to explore emerging trends in the future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach. The literature review, based on conceptual and relational content analyses, has been carried out to annotate and critique the literature on the topic of generational differences as a source of conflict or productivity. The paper develops three research questions and advances three hypotheses to prove or disprove for future research.

Findings. The paper provides scientific discussion and recommendations on literature sources that might be valuable for similar research on generational difference issues. The paper develops a theoretical framework for understanding the values of different generations and how they are formed and changed and provides a new conceptual model of future research.

Originality/value. The paper identifies four further streams of research on the correlation between personal and work values in the context of generational differences in the workplace; therefore, the paper can potentially contribute to the current scientific discussion on the multigenerational workforce’s personal and work values.

Type of paper: Literature review